Why Do We Have To Suffer?
When you're reading through the Bible, do you have someone that you vibe with? Someone that really resonates with you, even in their yucky parts? I can relate to John the Baptist. That man was wild, intense, and a little unhinged. I don't relate on the locust-eating level, but I, too have a thirst for swift judgment—it's the enneagram 8 in me.1 “In those days John the Baptist came to the Judean wilderness and began preaching. His message was, 2 “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.” 3 The prophet Isaiah was speaking about John when he said,
“He is a voice shouting in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming!
Clear the road for him!’”
4 John’s clothes were woven from coarse camel hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food he ate locusts and wild honey. 5 People from Jerusalem and from all of Judea and all over the Jordan Valley went out to see and hear John. 6 And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River.”
Matthew 3:1-6 NLT
We find John the Baptist in Matthew 3 preaching repentance because God’s kingdom was coming in hot (he had hoped). He knew the time of waiting was over, the Messiah was here, the King was here, but maybe not the way he thought.John was so aggressive, passionate, and wild, probably thinking Jesus was about to turn the world upside down quickly and amazingly. Not in a slow, steady, messy, devastating way. I bet he didn’t expect him to be crucified in 3 short years. Or for there to be more suffering, persecution, death, and even centuries more for the Kingdom to actually come—the New Heaven and Earth. Jesus was there with John in the flesh! Was that not the perfect time to usher in the Kingdom of God?His job was to prepare the way for Jesus. Make straight, fix the road, bring down the hammer, and fight Jesus’ battles before He even gets there. And John was good at it.7 “But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to watch him baptize, he denounced them. “You brood of snakes!” he exclaimed. “Who warned you to flee the coming wrath? 8 Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God. 9 Don’t just say to each other, ‘We’re safe, for we are descendants of Abraham.’ That means nothing, for I tell you, God can create children of Abraham from these very stones. 10 Even now the ax of God’s judgment is poised, ready to sever the roots of the trees. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire.”
Matthew 3:7-10 NLT
He took “prepare,” aka “remove every obstacle,” seriously. Isaiah said, “make the path straight,” and John said, “how straight?” A lot of people believed and were baptized. But not everybody. He even protected the message against the religious. If you didn’t have the fruit, you didn’t get the baptism. Your daddy’s credentials won’t get you in, either. He was about wrath, axes, fire, and winnowing forks. John was ready for the fire to fall in a major way. 11 “I baptize with water those who repent of their sins and turn to God. But someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not worthy even to be his slave and carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 12 He is ready to separate the chaff from the wheat with his winnowing fork. Then he will clean up the threshing area, gathering the wheat into his barn but burning the chaff with never-ending fire.”
Matthew 3:11-12 NLT
I love how John says, "Jesus will baptize you with the Holy Spirit…and FIRE!" It just takes it up a notch. I bet winnowing forks were sharp, too. And if regular fire wasn’t enough, there would be never-ending fire. John had some pretty severe expectations.But he was about to learn a major lesson:Jesus was different than he expected.
In the next few verses, Jesus walks up on the scene and asks John to baptize him.13 “Then Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to talk him out of it. ‘I am the one who needs to be baptized by you,’ he said, ‘so why are you coming to me?’”
Matthew 3:13-14 NLT
John had preached repentance so hard, so severe, so legalistic: "Judgment is coming, and you better be ready. Baptize yourselves from your sinful lifestyles. Purify yourselves. Be washed clean." But Jesus? He doesn’t need to be clean. He is Jesus! He is pure. He has no sin. Why does he want to be lowered into the water? Lowered from His status and lowered into humility. Baptism is for sinners.But Jesus insisted:15 But Jesus said, “It should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires.” So John agreed to baptize him.
Matthew 3:15 NLT
This was a lesson in humility. A lowering. Literally in the water, but also aligning Himself with us as our example. John didn’t get it. I don't usually get it at first, either.God doesn’t come like we expect.A baby isn’t what we expected.A suffering servant isn’t what we expected.A carpenter isn’t what we expected.A merciful, gracious Savior isn’t what we expected.
John thought he would get as many people to repent as possible and that Jesus would come and punish the rest for not listening. Isn’t that what we want sometimes? If I do what's right, follow the rules, I will be rewarded, and those who don’t will be punished. It’s only fair. But fair is just a four-letter word. It feels good to say, but it isn't super helpful.John expected Jesus to bring judgment down on the world, not take on Himself the judgment of the world.
But God isn’t like we expect. Jesus didn’t come the way John expected, He didn’t minister the way he expected, and He didn’t bring about His kingdom the way he expected. He came humbly, ministered in mercy, and suffered on a cross rather than sat on a throne.But that is what Jesus was trying to teach John and us. Suffering was always His plan. That felt a little wrong to write—did it feel wrong to read? But God's plan to save humanity required Jesus' suffering.If our Savior suffered we can expect to suffer.
John the Baptist had no idea how he would suffer in the end. I imagine he would have chosen to avoid prison and a beheading [Matthew 14:1-12]. After all, that’s not fair. He was faithfully serving Jesus and preparing the way for Him. He’s not the one who should be beheaded, right? But I also believe John wouldn't have changed a thing about his story—suffering and all.It feels silly and small to write about suffering with the current circumstances of our world. But suffering isn't a cornered market. It doesn't have pre-requisites or limits. It isn't measurable or objective. Suffering comes for us all. And your suffering isn't less heavy or hard just because you aren't the only one suffering. It doesn't work like that. In a not-so-funny way, there is plenty of suffering to go around.On October 29, 2021 the last line of my journal reads, "I'm tired of suffering. Does it have an end?"I don't know that suffering has an end. It's like a door once opened that will always be cracked. It opens our eyes to a world we were once blind to. It opens our eyes to the heart of God. The heart which both allows deep pain but holds space for the greatest comfort. The heart that sent His Son to the cross but made a way for you to experience mercy. The heart that demand holiness yet provides grace.There is a depth to the things of God that can only be accessed through the pain of suffering.
Maybe your life isn't turning out as you expected. Maybe it's even worse than that. Maybe you have been asking God for an end to your suffering. But what if that's not the answer? What if we aren't meant to try to escape our suffering but to embrace it? What if in that embrace you are embracing the very heart of God?What would it look like for you to embrace suffering today?
What expectations have you had of God that you need to release?
What judgment have you been holding on to that is only hurting you?
“God meets you in your weakness, not in your strength. He comforts those who mourn, not those who live above desperation. He reveals himself more often in darkness than in the happy moments of life.” -Dan Allender
